Craving that summer sun? Heck, willing to settle for any season that isn’t winter? We’ve got a recipe that will trick your taste buds into thinking spring has arrived! With citrus, fresh herbs and prawns, all you’re missing is that margarita. We won’t tell if you won’t.

Court Bouillon Poached Prawns with Herb and Citrus Pistou
This recipe can also be found in our Appetizer Recipe Library!

Ingredients
Court Bouillon Prawns:
10 cups cold water
2 medium carrots, peeled and quartered
2 stalks celery, quartered
1 large onion, quartered
1 head garlic, halved
1 lemon, halved
1/2 bunch parsley
5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 pound medium (26-30 per pound) shrimp
Ice for an ice bath

Pistou (Makes 1 1/2 cups):
1 1/4 cups (fully-packed) fresh parsley leaves
1/3 cup oregano leaves
10 basil leaves
1/3 cup (1 ounce) freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
2 Tablespoons orange juice
1 large garlic clove, peeled
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Methods/Steps
Make Court Bouillon: Put the water, chopped vegetables, and herbs into a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer, set a cover on top slightly ajar, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Clean Prawns: Using a pair of scissors or shrimp deveiner, cut a slit down the back of the prawns just deep enough to reveal the black vein. Peel the shell away (leave last knuckle and tail intact if possible), rinse shells and to the court bouillon for stronger shrimp flavor, if desired. Once all of the prawns are peeled and deveined, rinse well.

Poach Prawns: Drop the clean shrimp into the liquid and turn off the heat. Cook the shrimp, stirring occasionally, until they curl and turn pink, about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes (shrimp for cocktails should be cooked a little firmer than for hot dishes). Remove shrimp with a spider from the pot directly into an ice bath to chill.

Make Pistou: Place ingredients listed for the pistou in a food processor. Process until the mixture forms a smooth paste. Add more olive oil if you prefer a looser sauce. Pour into a small bowl for serving and garnish with herbs if desired.

Serve: Arrange a nice pile of shrimp on a platter. Nestle a small bowl or ramekin of the pistou into the pile of shrimp and serve.

Serves/Makes
Makes 26 – 30 prawns